Gate-latch.



W. W. PRINCE.

GATE LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNB I, 1912.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

3 wuemto'o UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WILEY W. PRINCE, OF ELLISVILLE, MIMISSIPPI.

' GATE-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5' 5, 191 3.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IVJLEY W. PRINCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ellisville, in the county of Jones and State of Mississippi, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gate-Latches, of which the following is a specification.

The general object of the invention is to increase the efficiency of gate latches, and particularly thbse of the automatic locking and gravity type by providing a construction which may be readily applied to a gate post and effectively held against disengagement therefrom.

Other objects will appear and be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective of the device applied to a gate structure. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken through the gate post showing how the device is secured therein. Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal section of the device and Fig. 4 is a detail plan of a blank from which the ring holder may be formed.

a indicates the holder for the latch which is herein shown to constitute a ring The holder a is hollow and by preference rectangular in'cross sectionand formed with oblong slots G-arranged in the opposite sides 7 thereof.

8 indicates a pin passin through the holder and suitably secured t erein, such as by upsetting the ends thereof. The said pin is adapted to support the latch 5 which freely moves through the holder and slots thereof, and the pin is arranged so that when the ring is moved outwardly the upper segment thereof will abut the outer end of the lower slot whereby to prevent upward movement of the ring, but when the ring is moved rearwardly it will turn on the pin as a pivot and pass upwardly, the slots of course, being suflicient in length to permit this action of the ring. i

The outer end of the holder receives a head 10 which is of hardened metal and serves as a driving head to receive the blows of the hammer while the holder is being driven into the post 6. The inner end of the holder has diverging prongs which are sharpened and adapted to readily enter the wood of the post b when the head 10 is struck by the hammer.

12 indicates prongs extending laterally from opposite faces of the holder which exrecesses 14 corresponding in length to the slot 13.

15 indicates a recess extending from one end of the blank, and 17 indicates sharpened edges on one end of the blank and to either side of the recess 15. The blank thus described may be stamped from a sheet of metal and constructed as shown, with perhaps two operations, after which the blank is bent upon itself on a line passing through the middle of the slot 13, after which, the portions to eachside of the recesses 14 are bent inwardly so that the edges of the bent portions of one side of the blank will -1but the edges of the bent portions on the othzr side of the-blank. In this connection it will be observed, that the sides of the recesses 14 will form opposite sides of the slot which parallels the slot 13. The blank as shown in Fig. 4, is formed with openings 18 to receive a pin similar to the pin 8, which, like the latter, serves as a support for the latch and additionally serves to connect the sides of the blank.

It is to be particularly noted that the distance between the pin 8 and the edge 7, is greater than the diameter of the ring, while the distance from said pin 8 to the corresponding edge of the head 10 is materially less than the diameter of the ring 8. This is an important feature of the present construction as by it I am enabled to permit the latch bar (Z to cooperate with the ring for latching function above the diametrical line of said ring in parallelism to the bar a. It is therefore impossible for the latch bar,

in the tendency of the gate to open, to raise the ring, as it cooperates with the edge above the diametric line noted and therefore can only have a swinging effect. In order to secure this result it is absolutely necessary that the ring be free to swing wholly upward when the latch engages the forward edge of the ring in moving into latching position, for as previously stated in such movement the latch bar d engages the ring above the diametric line parallel to the bar a and hence cannot exert a lifting action but only a swinging action. This invention isthere fore to be distinguished from those constructions in which the ring is capable of and adapted for a lifting rather than a swinging movement, as in such lifting constructions the latch bar will necessarily open, or actuate the ring to open the connection, as readily as it closes.

Although I have shown and described one embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that I am not to be limited to any specific structure, since it will be observed that various changes will be made within the scope of the appended 'claim'without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what I claim is:

A latch member constructed 1 of a single blank and including spaced arms having their marginal edges free of connection for the greater portions of their lengths, one terminal of the arm having its upper and lower marginal edges connected to form a driving head and the opposing terminal having an entrant member, the arms in their unconnected edge portions being united by transverse pivot pin and a ring loosely supported on said pin.

In testimon whereof I aflix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

WILEY W. PRINCE. Witnesses J. T. TAYLOR, J. A. WALTERS. 

